Former ESPN host Sam Ponder broke her silence this week regarding her departure from the network in August 2023, attributing it in part to her views on transgender athletes in women’s sports, as reported by The New York Post.
In her first detailed public comments on the matter, Ponder said her firing followed backlash over social media activity and internal pressure within Disney, ESPN’s parent company.
Speaking on The Sage Steele Show, Ponder pointed to a July 2023 retweet that highlighted former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Paula Scanlan’s testimony about competing alongside transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
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Ponder retweeted a post from the Independent Women’s Forum and commented, “No matter where you stand on this issue, it is well worth your time to listen to @PaulaYScanlan share her own story…”
“I don’t really think me losing my job was solely because of that, but the timing of it almost certainly was,” Ponder said.
“I was told after the fact privately that most people at the top of the company did agree with me on the issue but there is a loud activist group at Disney and they were not happy with me.”
Ponder, who spent over a decade at ESPN and hosted Sunday NFL Countdown, said she received warnings from network executives who flagged her online interactions, including favoriting a tweet from Megyn Kelly that stated men don’t need gynecologists.
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“I honestly didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but when I got the email I knew it was,” she said, adding that the company told her they were “not going to allow me to misgender people.”
She said she started to realize her tenure at the company was nearing its end. “I knew then that I was on the clock, if you will.”
The mother of three also discussed an internal ESPN request during Women’s History Month to profile an inspirational woman. Though she wanted to highlight former swimmer Riley Gaines, she instead chose her mother, citing fear of the network’s response.
Later, Ponder criticized ESPN’s recognition of Lia Thomas. “That just did something to me,” she said. “We’re going to take that spot and give it to someone who, by their own admission, has only ‘become a woman’ within the last year?”
In August 2023, Ponder again sparked controversy when she publicly supported Italian boxer Angela Carini, who protested competing against gold medalist Imane Khelif. Ponder posted, “ENOUGH is what all of us should be saying!! Proud of this woman.”
Shortly after, Ponder said she received a call from network executives and believed it was the final sign that her contract would not be renewed.
ESPN later characterized the exit as part of financial restructuring, though both Ponder and Robert Griffin III still had time remaining on their contracts.
Ponder noted that her limited on-air schedule likely contributed to the decision. “I never believed I was solely fired for this,” she said. “They felt like they were paying me too much money to do just one thing.”
Still, she remains firm in her belief that discussing transgender athletes in women’s sports is a legitimate sports issue. “I thought this was sports,” she said.
“Why do their opinions not deserve a platform when we’re giving awards for Women’s History Month to someone born male?”
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